Here are some local sources for information on birth control and reproductive rights, related health problems, or for general medical advice. This is not a comprehensive list, so be sure also to speak to your own doctor.

Extreme behavior If you wanted to make the Maine Legislature look good, you’d compare it to the Portland School Committee.

57. Ray J Those with success in the unfettered dating marketplace don’t seem to need a casting director to score companionship. Thus, as history tells us, getting one’s own reality dating show (as Ray-J now has on VH1’s For the Love of Ray J ) corresponds roughly with earning yourself a spot on this very list (see: Flavor Flav, Bret Michaels). The big surprise here is that being a sibling of a celebrity (Ray J is Brandy’s brother) usually suffices in the hooking up department.

Born to rock The last time Deer Tick were in Portland, at SPACE Gallery in November 2007, then-21-year-old frontman John McCauley decided to sing the national anthem. He sprung offstage and hit the floor belting the Tony Bennett standard "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" in a nasal voice soaked in equal parts whiskey, battery acid, and gravel.

Activist Tales Cleve Jones told a fascinating tale about how the assassination of Harvey Milk led him to become a prominent bridge-builder between the LGBT community and the labor movement.

Prescriptions for pot Smoking a joint can be a better and more effective way of easing chronic pain than the use of prescription narcotics such as OxyContin and morphine.

Weed picking up speed? When the Phoenix published a cover story about the potential tipping point in the fight to end marijuana prohibition, we smelled something in the air: it seemed more than ever that such a resolution might be possible.

Interview: James Carroll The Phoenix 's Adam Reilly recently spoke with Globe columnist James Carroll about his new book, Practicing Catholic (Houghton Mifflin), and his critical but durable relationship with the Roman Catholic Church.

Life, camera, action Artist, photographer, and HIV/AIDS activist-educator Tom Antonik has donated a collection of artworks and memorabilia to the University of Southern Maine’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Collection.

BEST 2014: EDITORS' PICKS | May 15, 2014 Our ‘Best of’ categories are quite comprehensive (see our supplement in this issue), but there’s a lot of stuff they don’t cover — things that defy categorization, things we didn’t even know needed to be honored until we saw/experienced/enjoyed them.